TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The cost of prescription drugs continues to increase, and on Monday, local health professionals discussed possible solutions to lower them.
Panelists representing organizations and firms such as the Florida Association of Health Plans, the Florida Insurance Council and Walmart, were joined by hospital representatives and consumers, as part of what is called the "campaign for sustainable prescription pricing."
The panel said that families, businesses, and government programs cannot continue to pay escalating drug costs.
They felt that a better balance is needed between drug innovation and drug affordability.
"When the Affordable Care Act passed, we saw hospitals and providers and health insurers all come under a lot of different and increased regulation. The industry that did not was the pharmaceutical industry, and that is where we are seeing the ballooning of healthcare costs," said Audrey Brown, who is with the Florida Association of Health Plans.
They discussed several possible solutions to lower the cost of drugs, including more transparency, which the group feels is necessary from drug makers, so people know the actual cost of creating a medicine.
Additionally, the campaign wants to see quicker federal approval of generic drugs, which can bring costs down significantly.
